Slamming the decision to charge migrant workers for travel, Congress President Sonia Gandhi on Monday, 4 May, said the party would take care of the travel expenses.
She said every Pradesh Congress Committee member shall bear the cost of rail travel “for every needy worker and migrant labourer, and take necessary steps in this regard”.
The central government on 1 May announced special trains to ferry the several migrant workers and students stranded in various parts of the country amid the lockdown. However, the Indian Railways decided to charge for tickets for operating special trains for the stranded workers, and the fare includes the price of regular sleeper class tickets plus superfast charges of Rs 30 and an additional charge of Rs 20.
In a detailed statement, she said:
“Our workers and labourers form the backbone of our economy. Their hard work and sacrifice are the foundation of our nation. As the central government barely gave a four-hour notice of the lockdown, workers and migrant labourers were denied the opportunity to return to their homes.
Post the partition of 1947, this is the first time India witnessed a tragedy with such a massive human cost as thousands of migrant workers and labourers were forced to walk home several hundred kilometres on foot – without food, without medicines, without money, without transportation, without anything except for the desire to return to their families and loved ones.
The very thought of their plight is enough to break our hearts as there was also the outpouring of support from fellow Indians for their inspiring resolve. But what is the responsibility of our government? Even today, lakhs of workers and migrant labourers are languishing in different parts of the country and wish to return to their homes and families but there is neither adequate money nor provision for free transport.
What is particularly disturbing is that the central government and the Rail Ministry are charging them for train tickets in this hour of crisis. Our workers and labourers are the ambassadors of our nation’s growth
When our government can recognise its responsibility by arranging free air travel for our citizens stranded abroad, when the government can spend nearly Rs 100 crores on transport and food etc for just one public programme in Gujarat, when the Rail Ministry has the largesse to donate Rs 151 crore to the PM’s corona fund, then why can’t these essential members of our nation’s fabric be given a fraction of the same courtesy, especially free rail travel, at this hour of acute distress?
The Indian National Congress has been raising this issue from the outset of the lockdown. There needs to be provisions for the safe and free rail travel of migrant workers and labourers to their home-towns. However, despite our repeated demands, the central government and the Rail Ministry have chosen to completely ignore the same. The Indian National Congress has, therefore, taken a decision that every Pradesh Congress Committee shall bear the cost for the rail travel of every needy worker and migrant labourer and shall take necessary steps in this regard.
This will be the Indian National Congress’ humble contribution in service of our compatriots and to stand shoulder to shoulder in solidarity with them.”
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